From various types of aircraft that have been in operation for a long time, an aircraft door arrangement is known that comprises a door, a door frame and a support arm. This support arm has a pivoting axis on the door side, on which the door is mounted so as to swivel, and it has a pivoting axis on the frame side, on which the support arm is mounted so as to swivel on the door frame. The pivoting axis on the door side is defined by two articulated joints positioned at a distance from each other in the vertical direction of the support arm, each articulated joint comprising two bifurcated bearings which are positioned at a distance from each other in the vertical direction and which are each formed by two eye plates. The door arrangement has a pivoting drive 104 that serves to swivel the door. This pivoting drive is configured as a linear actuator arranged laterally on the support arm, said actuator extending essentially over the entire width of the support arm. The left-hand side of the actuator in the drawing is attached to the support arm while its right-hand side is attached to a moveable driven element. This driven element, in turn, is coupled to the door and transmits an actuating movement of the actuator to the door. This mode of construction calls for a separate bearing arrangement for the driven element, an intermediate lever and numerous other components, an approach that has a detrimental effect on the overall weight of the door structure. Moreover, due to the linear actuator, which is installed laterally, the support arm has to have a considerable overall depth. Furthermore, this gives rise to long load paths. Due to the described mode of construction, the support arm is also subject to a relatively high load stemming from the reaction forces of the actuator. Consequently, the occurring forces have to be absorbed by component areas that are dimensioned to be correspondingly stronger which, in turn, increases the weight. This prior-art door arrangement is quite complex and costly.
Moreover, aircraft door arrangements generally entail the problem that the doors are subject to high stress caused by external loads such as, for instance, wind loads, blocking of the door and the like. These external loads exert particular stress on the bearings of the support arm on the door side, they deform the support arm and give rise to considerable stresses, distortion and bending of the pivoting drive, especially of its driven member, which likewise has a detrimental effect on the function and service life of the pivoting drive. In case of damage or wear and tear of the door attachment elements, of the support arm or of the bearings of the pivoting drive in prior-art aircraft door arrangements, it is hardly possible to repair the support arm. As a consequence, it is usually necessary to replace the entire support arm, which increases the repair or maintenance costs.